FC04-01 - Restricted women's rights: is there a link with young women's (15–24) suicide? Comparing two catholic continents

Abstract

QuestionAre restricted Women's Rights, i.e. limited access to family planning, including abortion, associated with Young Women's (YW)(15–24) suicides in two Catholic formal continents, Catholic Western Europe (CWE) and South American Countries (SAC).MethodWHO female Suicide rates per million (pm) were compared and ratios of YW to Total (All Age Suicides) calculated. To explore possibility that undetermined deaths, categorised as ‘Other-External-Causes of Death’ (OECD), might be a source of under-reported suicides, OECD and suicides are correlated. Each SAC mortality patterns, using chi square test and average CWE rates are compared to determine any differences between the two continents, sharing the same formal religious culture.ResultsTotal CWE suicides at 64pm and OECD 15pm were significantly different from SAC suicides 27pm and OECD 24pm rates.Most SAC YW mortalities were higher than their Total rates, the reverse was true for the majority of CWE.SAC Average YW to Total suicide ratios were 1.82: 1 compared to 0.54:1 in CWE and SAC YW to Total OECD ratios were 1.09: 1 and amongst the CWE 0.43:1. There were significant positive correlations between suicides and OECD rates for both CWE age bands but non-significant negative correlation for SAC, showing a marked disparity between the two continents.SAC YW births rates correlated positively and significantly with their OECD rates.ConclusionsIn the majority of SAC patterns of YW suicide and OECD were significantly different from CWE and SAC YW OECD results might well contain more ‘hidden’ suicides possibly linked to restricted Women's Rights.